Pioneer Plaza – Dallas, Texas
Pioneer Plaza is a large public park located in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). It contains a large sculpture and is a heavily visited tourist site. Adjacent to the plaza is the Pioneer Park Cemetery which features the Confederate War Memorial. Together, it is the largest public open space in the Dallas central business district.
The land on which the plaza sits, once railroad and warehouse property, was cleared for the 900-foot (270 m)-tall hotel and office Dallas Tower which was part of the failed Griffin Square development. The plaza and its accompanying sculpture were the ideas of real estate developer Trammell Crow, who wanted an iconic “Western” sculpture in the city of Dallas and assembled a group to donate the sculptures.
In 1994, the Texas Trees Foundation dedicated Pioneer Plaza to the City of Dallas providing a focal point with historical significance for downtown Dallas. The Plaza commemorates Dallas’ beginnings by celebrating the trails that brought settlers to Dallas. The site features native plants and trees a flowing stream in a natural setting and a re-creation of a cattle drive in bronze with longhorn steers being driven by three cowboys on horses.
Each piece of bronze art was created by artist Robert Summers of Glen Rose, Texas, while the sculptures were cast at the Eagle Bronze Foundry in Lander, Wyoming. It is located adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center at Young and Griffin between the historical Pioneer Cemetery and the Dallas Convention Center. Pioneer Plaza represents the largest public open space in the central business district. Developed on what was once a 4.2-acre parking lot, Pioneer Plaza is second only to Dealey Plaza as the most-visited landmark in downtown Dallas.
The Plaza depicts a cattle drive featuring three cowboys and a herd of forty longhorn steers. Cast in monumental scale (larger than life size) the Plaza has become the second most visited tourist attraction in the downtown area. Only Dealey Plaza, the site of the Kennedy assassination, attracts more visitors each year. The Plaza is situated on a 4.2-acre site, which was donated by the City of Dallas to construct this magnificent open space.
Under the direction of Trustees and Project Co-Chairs, Jim Lake (deceased), Diane Scovell, and Jack Beckman, $4.8 million in private funds were raised from individuals and local businesses. The design of Pioneer Plaza was begun in 1992 with site work beginning late that same year. The Plaza is a work in progress, and additional steers will be added, as appropriate, to complete the herd. Maintenance of the facility became the responsibility of the Dallas Convention Center late in 1996.
Today the park is maintained by the adjacent Dallas Convention Center and is the second most visited tourist attraction in downtown Dallas. As a work in progress, an additional steer is occasionally added to the herd.